Rapist who subjected woman to horror ordeal sentenced to minimum of 10 years in jail

A MAN who took part in an eight-hour sex attack on a woman snatched off a street in broad daylight was jailed for at least 10 years today.

A MAN who took part in an eight-hour sex attack on a woman snatched off a street in broad daylight was jailed for at least 10 years today.

The 24-year-old victim was walking home in Edinburgh when two Polish men squirted pepper spray in her face and dragged her into a filthy makeshift den.

The woman, an Australian living in the city at the time, feared she would be killed during the prolonged ordeal in February last year in which she was repeatedly raped.

One of the rapists, Michal Marchlewski, 21, was today made the subject of an order for lifelong restriction and jailed for a minimum of 10 years for a crime the judge described as showing "an extraordinary level of wickedness".

The order means that Marchlewski will remain behind bars until he is deemed safe for release.

His cousin, co-accused Tomasz Kryczyk, 26, killed himself while on remand waiting for the case to come to court.

Passing sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Bracadale said the crime would leave all right-thinking people deeply shocked.

"It is difficult to conceive of a worse ordeal for a woman," he said.

The victim was not in court for today's proceedings but representatives of her family were present to see the Marchlewski led away to the cells.

Marchlewski, who admitted his guilt, showed little emotion as he stood in the dock.

Lord Bracadale told him: "You have pled guilty to a serious offence, the gravity of which is so extreme as to be difficult to register."

The judge said the victim was held for eight hours, threatened, physically assaulted, repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted in a variety of ways.

"It is difficult to conceive of a worse ordeal for a woman. The experience is bound to have had a profound effect on her and her family."

The judge said he accepted that Kryczyk played a leading part but said Marchlewski took an "active role" in events over a lengthy period of time.

"Every right-thinking person will be deeply shocked at such events taking place in their midst," he said.

The judge said it was clear from a risk assessment carried out that Marchlewski was a "very dangerous man".

He said the nature of the offence supported the view that Marchlewski, if at liberty, could "seriously endanger" the lives and wellbeing of the public.